By Anna Shafiei, Waxing The CityMaking the nerve-wracking decision to start my own business and purchase a franchise was one of the happiest and scariest moments of my life. There was so much uncertainty and fear, yet so much excitement and desire. I could not let the fear of the unknown keep me from pursuing my dream. Despite all the mixed emotions of happiness and fear, the one thing I knew for certain was: I had passion.Being a consumer of the waxing lifestyle for over fifteen years and having an amazing career on Wall Street for thirteen, I decided it was time to bring the two together. I wanted to spread the word of the waxing lifestyle and take a risk to enjoy the rewards. When I say rewards, I am not speaking of only the monetary reward. Waxing has personally changed my life. The convenience, the long term lasting results and the boost in confidence to always feel my best is what makes waxing my passion and why feel is my duty to share this lifestyle with the world. I believe everyone deserves to feel his or her best! Waxing the City was the hidden gem that needed to be found and I can only thank my husband, Maz for finding this amazing company from Denver, Colorado. He not only stood by my side during our research phase, but it was his faith in me and his consistent pep talks that gave me that final push I needed to open up the very first Waxing The City Studio franchise in the State of Illinois.Waxing the City is a “self-esteem” brand. We pride ourselves in helping clients reach the highest level of confidence and feel beautiful through the services we provide. To us, it is so much more than just a wax service; it is about providing “wax expertise”, the best technical wax service and the ultimate customer service experience. We have now been open in Naperville, Illinois for nine months and the satisfaction I get daily from helping clients look and feel their best leaves me speechless at times. To give you an example: imagine a grown man, whom when I initially met, would not even make eye contact with me because he was so embarrassed by the excessive facial hair growth he has suffered from for most of his adult life. After speaking to him at a networking event, I convinced him to come in for a Men’s Grooming package, which consists of nose, ear and men’s brow wax services. He came in about a week after we met, still very skeptical and nervous. I could tell by his demeanor and lack of eye contact once again. Once his service was completed, our Cerologist walked with him to the front desk where I asked him how his service was. He looked me right in the eyes for the first time and I noticed that his eyes welled up with tears. He thanked me for convincing him to come in and said:“I haven’t looked like this since my early twenties. I am so self conscious that I don’t even like making eye contact with people…I don’t want to see them looking at my hair.”It took all my power at that moment to not break down and cry like a baby. It is moments as big as this and even the smaller ones, when I see that extra skip in a step that gives me the ultimate reward and one of the mains reasons I do what I do.My journey is a new one, but I can already say, not only do I find it rewarding to help clients, but I have learned how much I cherish being a leader. Being a woman in business, I feel empowered and connected to the community through local businesses and charities and most importantly, I feel like I am part of a team with my employees. As a team we have built this studio together from the ground up and brought a brand that was unheard of and continue working together to turn it into a household name. I don’t view myself as a boss, but rather I consider myself a mentor. I truly enjoy my day-to-day interactions with the wonderful young women I work with. I try to teach them the value of building a future, not only for our studio, but give them a reason and the desire to work towards a prominent career for themselves individually.Looking back a few years, I would have never been able to predict how today has turned out to be. It was a dream back then, with so much unknown. Today, I am able to say with pride, that I am living my dream – a woman in business, who provides services that help people, an active member of my community and a mentor to young women.Anna ShafieiFranchise Owner | Waxing The City – NapervilleWebsite: waxingthecity.com/napervilleFacebook: waxingthecitynapervilleInstagram: waxingnapervilleTwitter: @WaxNapervilleSnapchat: waxingthecity